When I talk to people about Multiple Sclerosis, I tell them they need to assemble a good team. My team has three key players, and they’re all incredibly important.

First is my primary care doctor. That’s the person who takes care of my general health. For the past four years, I’ve been seeing a great guy at Fenway Community Health, and he’s been fantastic. Fenway is a community health center that caters to the gay and lesbian community in Boston. What’s incredibly important to me is seeing someone who is another gay man. I have some specific needs that only a gay doctor will understand. I’ve had a gay primary care doctor for the past ten years, and I can’t imagine that changing any time soon. If I can’t be comfortable talking about anything with my primary care doctor, what’s the point of even having one?

Second is my neurologist. This is the person who deals with my MS issues specifically. She knows my brain better than I do. She also looks out for a few general health issues, and she watches my vitamin B12 like a hawk. My neurologist is as Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. What’s great is that Fenway and Beth Israel have a partnership, so my primary care doctor can see my neurologist’s notes. I don’t have to play translator here. My neurologist is not only one of the top MS specialists in the nation, she’s a professor of neurology at this little college you might have heard of. It’s called the Harvard Medical School. I like to think she knows what she’s doing.

Third, and this may surprise some people, is my psychiatrist. Lets face it, I have a disease that’s tearing apart my brain. I see a psychiatrist about four times a year. He’s also the doctor who prescribes the meds for my ADD. That’s just another factor. My psychiatrist is also at Fenway.

I got a letter from Fenway a few weeks ago stating that Dr. Caro, my primary care doctor, was leaving them. This was really difficult for me because I really liked this guy. Tomorrow, I have my first appointment with my new primary care doctor. He’s at Fenway, but he’s at their South End Associates office. Scott and I have a few mutual friends, and I really hope he’s as good as my friends tell me and as good as my last doctor. That bar is pretty high.

For the past few years, I’ve had a great team. Seeing it change is hard. But this change could also be good. Lets hope so.